Vania



v irosnrrr I. HOLT, or MEmon, v I

TUBING coivrrimxor CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or No Drawing.

Patented Aug. 25, 1931 UNITED STA This invention relates to the softening. of yarn. \Vhilethe invention will be described in connection with the formation and treatment of cotton yarn, it is'understood thatthe invention is not limited thereby, but will apply to yarns other-than cotton. g In the manufacture of cotton yarn, raw cotton is carded'and spun into strands." The fibres of the strands are bound'together by the spinning so that-they become twisted together, eachstrand aligning closely with its neighbors. q I

This single strand, as twisted in the spinning, is oftentimes used as yarn in the formation of finely woven or knitted materials, while in other instances, a plurality of these strands; are twisted together to produce a multiple strand yarn. 4 f

The raw cotton yarn either in a single strand or composed of a plurality of strands, is usually bleached, mercerized and dyed, or may be treated with a combination of any of these steps in order to produce the finished article.

It has been found that yarns are stiffened or made harder by any of these treatments and, consequently, are less adaptable to the knitting machine than would be the case if softer. 7

Various processes have been advanced for; the treatment of finished yarn in order to soften the same and therefore render it more 1 adaptable to the knitting machine.

The patent art abounds in processes of I, treating yarns to soften the same and usually consists of emulsifying or treating the same with conditioning oils, either prior to or during the step of coning. the yarn.

It has also been suggested to beat or flay the finished yarns with tom toms or the like, for relieving it of its stiffness.

While all ofthese processes are helpful in varying degrees, none of them is capable of producing a perfect yarn for the purpose specified.

The object of this invention is to provide a process of mechanical treatment for soften ing yarn.

' Application filed October 18,

is quite soft and even same into strands does not materially harden to their neighbors,

strand'are somewhat to the inch.,

, inch, bringing it to a mer number of twists,

PENNSYLVANIA, nssrenon To ABERFoYLE ANUrnc PENNSYVL- vrnT'rionor TREATING YARN 1930. Serial 110,489,714.

treatment, is partially untwisted and then retwisted I It is well-known thatcotton in its raw state the spinning of the the texture of the strands. I-Iowever,when

these strands are twisted together to form a multiple twisted yarn, the resulting yarn is somewhat harder in character.- T

This hardness is I greatly intensified by dyeing, bleaching and :mercerizing, which causes 'the'fibres of the strands to become more closely aligned and also has the eflect of causing the strands to adhere more closely The resultant product,either in'the, single l-strand or multiple-strand yarn, is quite stiff, and. the original softness of the cotton has almost entirely disappeared. The method 1 employed for softening the yarn comprises.

.the steps of'partially untwisting'the yarn and then retwisting the same with the same or lesser number of'twists per inch. In-the case of thesingle i would be the untwisting of, compose the strand yarn, ing of the strands and then the retwisting of the same. strands; are untwisted, the. fibres of each agitated by the untwiststrand yarn, this the fibres which strand; while in the multiple it would comprise the untwist- In the latter case, when: the

ing and,', therefore, they will become looser and whenvthe strands are again twisted, these fibres of the separate strands will take up somewhat new positions in the strand and, therefore the texture of the retwisted yarn will be entirely different than before untwisting..

For example, let us consider a single strand ofyarn that is twisted about fifteen times This isits condition when treated. In the. untwisting of' the yarn let us assume thatit is untwisted so as to leave about four or five twists to the inch and then in the retwistingstep, add about seven twists to the;

' little less than theforv or bringing it back to the originalnumber of inal twists.

twists, or even giving 7 ta'greater'number than the number of orig- According to the invention, the yarn, after i In any instance, the fibres have been pulled apart and will assume new relations upon the retwist-ing of the same.

This is practically the same condition that will result in the case of the multiple strand yarn. \Vhen the strands are untwisted the fibres of the individual strands will be necessarily agitated and will, consequently, take up new relations with their neighbors and, therefore, when the retwisting of the strands is accomplished, the entire yarn will be softer in texture and will. be more readily adaptable to the knitting machine.

WVhile the invention is simple and quite easy to perform, it has been found that the result'obtained is remarkable and particularly with mercerized and bleached cotton yarns where the chemicals used tend to stiffen the resulting yarn to a great degree. Sampies of yarn treated according to this invention have been experimented with by manufacturers of knitted goods and such yarns have been found to have that high degree of efiiciency long sought.

Of course, in the steps of untwisting and retwisting the yarn, ordinary twisting machines may be utilized and no claim is made for any of the mechanism used in carrying out this invention.

While the invention has been described in connection with the treatment of cotton yarn, it is not limited thereto, but may be used to advantage in softening wool and other yarns after treatment thereof.

Of course, the invention here described is not limited to any precise number of reductions in the original twisted yarn, nor to any precise number of retwists, nor is the invention limited to any treatment prior to the process here disclosed and, therefore, the invention is capable of wide latitude and ap lication without departing from the sub]ect matter thereof, as embraced in the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. The herein described process of softening cotton yarn after the same has been chemically treated, comprising the steps of partially untwisting the same, and then retwisting it.

2. The herein described process of softening twisted cotton yarn after mercerization, comprising the steps of partially untwis-ting the same, and then retwisting it.

3. The herein described process of softening multiple strand twisted cotton yarn after mercerization, comprising the steps of partially untwisting the strands thereof, and then retwisting the same.

4. The herein described process of producing soft cotton yarn, comprising the steps of twisting a plurality of spun strands, then chemically treating the same, then partially min-twisting the strands, the strands.

and then retwisting 5. The herein described process of producing soft mercerized cotton yarn, comprising the steps of twisting a pluraiit-y of spun strands, then mercerizing same, then partially untwisting the strands, and then retwisting the strands.

6. The herein described process of producing soft bleached cotton yarn, comprising the steps of spinning the cotton into a strand, then chemically bleaching the strand, then partially untwisting the strand, and then retwisting the strand.

7. The herein described process of producing soft bleached cotton yarn, comprising the steps of twisting a plurality of spun strands, then chemically bleaching the same, then partially untwisting the strands, and then retwisting the strands.

8. The herein described process of soften- 7 ing cotton yarn after the same has been chem-- ically treated, comprising the steps of partially untwisting the same, and then retwisting it with a number of turns less than the original twist.

9. The herein described process of producing soft mercerized cotton yarn, comprising the steps of twisting a plurality of spun strands, then mercerizing the same, then partially u-ntwisting the strands, and then re twisting the strands with a number of turns" less than the original twist.

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification.

JOSEPH P. HOLT.

signed my 

